FutureFlight
USAF Contract Boosts Electra's eSTOL Aircraft Program
Electra expects to start ground testing a technology demonstrator before the end of 2021 for its planned eSTOL aircraft, which is one of several new designs being evaluated by the U.S. Air Force for possible military roles.
Electra
Electra unveiled the serious production configuration for its planned eSTOL aircraft in early June 2021. (Image: Electra)

Electra expects to start ground testing a reduced-scale technology demonstrator for its planned eSTOL aircraft later this year as it prepares to start flight testing in 2022. Last week, the program received a boost when the U.S. Air Force’s Agility Prime team awarded the Virginia-based company a Phase II small business innovation research contract to support the development of a hybrid-electric aircraft that is expected to be able to take off and land in distances as short as 100 feet.

The technology demonstrator will carry two people and be powered by Electra’s first 150-kW electric propulsion system, consisting of a small gas turbine, a generator, a gearbox, a rectifier, and a control system. The turbogenerator will power eight wing-mounted electric motors and charge a battery system during flights.